Vi Vincula Veniversum Vivus Vici
by TeIos
Summary: By the power of bonds, I, a mortal, shall conquer the Universe
1. Second Chance

"Thank you" the boy with the yellow scarf said with a smile on his lips.

The person across him nodded and utters his farewell.

"Goodbye Ryoji" He pulled the trigger.

* * *

Darkness as far as his eyes could see...

The coldness of death embrace him as he float around in the emptiness.

 _'All of them put their trust on me and I betrayed them.'_

He doesn't know how long has it been. A minute? An hour? A day? A month? A year? He couldn't tell. Yet the only thing filled His mind are those words.

That is until a blue butterfly enter his vision.

Slowly but surely, it make it's way towards his left eye before shattering into blue glass, covering his sight with lights.

His feet touches something, that's when he realized he can stand again.

"Huh?" The blue-haired boy let out on suprise.

"Welcome to the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness." Minato cast his eyes on the man with a butterfly mask covering his face.

"I am Philemon" he introduce himself with a bow.

"Why am I here?" he ask Philemon

"I've been observing you since the beginning of your journey, I think you noticed the thing that brought you here." he said.

"The blue butterfly..." he muttered. That's why it was able to catch up with the train.

"Precisely. Do you know the reason why I brought you here my boy?" He asked.

After thinking for a few seconds he raise his head and gave his answer "I've failed my journey, haven't I ?"

He nodded "Correct, but adding salt to your wounds is not why I called you here." He assured him.

Philemon continued "You have the largest potential out of all humanity, but a little bit of fear and one wrong choice is all it takes to shut that potential down."

He look away from the man as he felt the bitter taste of guilt.

"Too many things gone wrong at such a short amount of time." is his excuse.

 _'Shinjiro, Ikutsuki, Takeharu, Chidori, Ryoji...'_ Casualties, one after another. It's a collective of burdens that stayed at the back of his mind, constantly reminding him of death. That's why he choose blissful ignorance to face it.

"One wrong turn is all it takes to doom all mankind, that is why I've called you here. You see my boy, I've always believed in the power humanity." A tarot card with the Fool arcana symbol floats on Philemon's hand.

"It is unfair to destroy them because of a mistake one person make isn't it ? That is why I am offering you a second chance, a chance to restart your journey and rewrite your own fate. How about it?" He offers him the card.

Without a second thought Minato reaches out and grasp the card with my hand. If there's any chance to redeem himself then he'll take it.

"I accept." He said solemnly. The card vanished from his hand as he felt the fool arcana become one with him once more.

"Do not fail me again this time. Show me what power humanity holds, Minato Arisato." His body suddenly felt really light.

"I am Philemon, a dweller in the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness of all souls... I am you. You are me... I shall always watch over you from within. Farewell..." Minato faded away as he heard Philemon's Declaration.

* * *

He open his eyes once again to the familiar sight of the blue neverending elevator.

"Welcome, to The Velvet Room." He heard Igor's signature greeting.

"It is delightful to see you again Minato-san." Elizabeth welcome him with a bow and a warm smile.

"It's good to be back here again." He returned their greetings.

Igor continued "Now, I trust you know why you are here."

He nodded "This is my second chance."

Igor closes his eyes "Correct, but before you proceed I need you to sign this contract." the same piece of paper he have signed before appears on the table. Strangely enough, 'I shalt changes the fate of this world' is written on the contract instead of 'I chooseth this fate of mine own free will'

He looked at Igor with his eyebrows raised "A different contract is required for a different purpose."

He nodded at the answer and sign the contract with his name. Just like before, it quickly vanished. "Before you go I must inform you that all of your powers from your previous journey is still available, also this journey will be quite different from before." His ears perked up on that.

"What do you mean?" He asked with curiosity in his tone.

Igor looked straight at him with his bloodshot eyes "Unfortunately, that is all I can tell you." His tone is unidentifiable to him.

His consciousness began to fade away "Until then, farewell... my dear guest." Igor said as his vision blackened.

* * *

 **DATE : 04/06 (Monday)**

Minato Arisato open his eyes once again, he is back to the land of the living.

It's currently afternoon... 13.00 to be exact. A light gray double-breasted jacket wrapped his body with his headphones dangling on his neck as usual.

On the side is a duffle bag with quite a few thing inside, his clothes, a wallet full of money, an MP3 charger, an apartment pamphlet, a laptop with it's accesories and two letters, one is blue and one is white with butterfly symbol on it.

He opened the white letter first.

 _To : Minato Arisato_

' _As you can immediately noticed, I've changed quite a few things from where you've starting. For example, you are no longer required to attend school, I've also granted you the ability to summon your persona without the tool you called evoker. In doing so you will have more time and freedom to change the outcome of this journey. Your body and mind are also left untouched. I look forward to see what you can do with this chance.'_

 _Philemon_

 _'That'll come in handy.'_ He moved on to the next letter.

 _To : Minato-san_

' _Minato-san, I was most disappointed when I discovered the choice you make. But nevertheless, I am happy to find out Master Philemon are giving you a second chance. This must be because of the 1.000.000 yen I poured into the fountain, I knew the spirit of the fountain will not let me falls into depression. I am also hoping you can take me on what you called a "date" once more, I might even brought my foolish younger brother with us. Ah! Yes, I was supposed to inform you that you can find The Velvet Room where it normally is. We will provide our services as usual, we have also left your money exactly the same. By all means, please do not take too long to visit.'_

 _Elizabeth_

A smile decorated his lips after reading Elizabeth's letter. After returning the letters to the bag, he put on his headphones and stare toward the windows.

While looking to the city, he wonder what his friends are doing right now. What'll happen to them if he hadn't join S.E.E.S.

When he thinks back, most of them would've died if he hadn't join. Yukari and Junpei will crash in the monorail, Akihiko and Mitsuru will lost to the Empress and Emperor, Aigis will never be activated again, Shinjiro will die slowly, Ken will fall into depression leading to he doesn't want to know what.

Just now, he realized how much he have done for them, which hurts even more when he remember his mistake...

His thoughts are cut short as the speaker suddenly announced "Attention all passagers, next stop is Iwatodai" and that's his cue to get off.

He grab the bag and walked out to the station. Next stop is his new home.

* * *

The apartment is located quite far from the dorm, which is good because he doesn't want to run into any of my old teammates in the Dark Hour. The place is not even bad, the apartment is on the second floor. It has 3 rooms, the living room, bedroom, and bathroom. All of them are being kept clean. The living room is merged with the kitchen, there's a couch, a small TV, a dining table with 2 seats, and a basic kitchen along with a refrigerator.

The bedroom is pretty standard with a single size bed, a wardrobe, and a shelf. The bathroom have a shower with water heater too. Even though it cost quite a bit, it's a pretty comfortable place.

After putting unpacking and charging my MP3 I sat down on the couch "Alright, unpacking is done. Now, what else should I do?" His question is answered immediately when his stomach grumbled, ordering him to grab his wallet and buy some food.

* * *

He bought groceries to last at least for a month, on the way back he decided stop by Wild-Duck Burger because he's already hungry enough. When he enter the restaurant he immediately noticed the familiar cap-wearing boy Junpei Iori, who is hanging out with Kenji. He doesn't seem to noticed the blue-haired individual when he walked past him. Then it hit him, if he wanted to do activities on the dark hour he need to be really cautious. He can't let other member of SEES caught him running around while everyone turns into coffins. A weapon is also needed, he can fight with his fist but he prefer to have a backup in case something gone wrong.

He's back at the apartment at last. After swallowing two triple cheeseburgers, he decided to plan ahead of time from now on.

Minato sat on the dining table to plan out his schedule.

 _'So today is April 6th, the full moon occured on April 9th, and Junpei joined SEES on the 21st. That means I have to follow Akihiko and distract the Magician shadow when it showed up 3 days from now.'_ His train of thoughts continued

 _'I also have 10 days to explore Tartarus starting from 10th to 20th. Clearing out the floor guardians before SEES reaches them seems to be my priority.'_ He's not doubting his former comrades capabilities, but he would rather not take any chances in case they get into troubles.

 _'Orpheus, Surt, Scathach, Odin, Cybele, Thor, Melchizedek, Arahabaki, Alice, Daisoujou, Lilith,and Thanatos. I don't think my body can take the strain of summoning strong personas but passive skills and the persona's properties like absorbing fire can still be used.'_ This is evident when he try to burn his hand on the stove with Surt equipped... he wish there's a better way that could be proven.

Minato lean back on his seat while sighing to himself "I hope this would work" he said to no one in particular.

Feeling tired, he decided to end the day early to save energy for tomorrow.

* * *

 **A/N : Hi, this is my first fic and this chapter is just a prologue, so it's not much.**

 **I'm not the best at grammars so if you noticed a mistake, please tell me.**

 **Feel free to leave a review, I always have rooms to improve.**

 **Question : Are you okay if I use a character from another series as an OC?**


	2. First Encounter

**A/N : I'm sorry for all the grammatical error**

* * *

 **DATE : 04/07 (Tuesday)**

I don't think I have anything to do today aside from waiting for the full moon, and that's still the day after tomorrow.

After having a bowl of cereal, I put on a simple white shirt with dark blue jacket and set myself to go somewhere during the day. Naganaki Shrine seems to be a good place to go, I can search for Maiko and Koromaru there. Just before I go to the shrine, I stopped by the strip mall to buy two boxes of takoyaki and two cans of Madbull.

When I reached Naganaki Shrine, it seems Koromaru is the only one there.

I walk over to him and scratch his ear to say hello

Koromaru whimpered in reply, seemingly noticing the takoyaki I brought. "You want some, Koro-chan?"

"Arf! Arf!" He barked happily in confirmation, I took out one of the box and set it down so he can eat it. Koromaru immediately went over to it and start chewing down on the food.

While that happens, I took a seat on the bench and start eating the other box. Maiko arrives just when I sat down.

She walk over to me and Koromaru "Excuse me mister, is that the takoyaki from Octopia? Can I have some?" Maiko asked with puppy eyes

I nodded with a smile "Sure, have a seat." I gestured to the bench

She sat down next to me and I handed her the box. When we both finished the takoyaki, I took out a can of Mad Bull and give it to her. "Here, you must be thirsty."

Maiko receive the can of Mad Bull with both hands "Wow! This is my favorite! How did you know?" she said while opening it.

I pretend to be surprised but an amused smile betrayed my lips "Really? I didn't know." I said as I proceed to take another can and drink it.

Koromaru seems to have finished his food as he walk over to us carrying Akinari's pen on his mouth and set it down. I go to him and take the pen "You want to play, Koro-chan?"

"Arf!" He barked in confirmation "Okay, catch!" I throw the pen. I hope it doesn't get damaged too bad so that Akinari can still use it.

Koromaru ran to the pen and catch it as Maiko appeared next to me to join us.

"Ooh, can I play with him too?" She asked giddily.

"Of course, c'mere boy" I said as Koromaru return the pen to me.

We both play with Koromaru for some time.

After a while Maiko turned to me "Mister, can you play with me again sometimes?" She asked with a hopeful tone.

I responded with a nod "Sure, I could visit the shrine sometimes."

"You promised okay? My name is Maiko." She beamed at me

"I promised, my name is Minato." I return it with a smile of my own

 _ ***CRACK***_

 _ **Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana**_

We were broke out of our conversation by Koromaru's whine.

I crouched down and pet his head "We'll play with you too Koro-chan."

"Arf! Arf!" Koromaru let out a happy bark while waggling his tail.

 _ ***CRACK***_

 _ **Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Strength Arcana**_

Two Social links in one day? That's efficient.

I just realized it's already afternoon and Koromaru went for his walk.

Maiko noticed this as well and go home after saying her goodbye, I think it's time for me to go home too.

I waited back at my apartment until the dark hour hits to test Philemon's words.

* * *

I go out to the street as soon as the world turns eerie green and spotted a cowardly maya wandering around.

Let's test this shall we "Orpheus!" I called out.

 **Soundtrack : Unavoidable Battle**

Blue energy circles around me as the familiar power rushes through my body.

" **Thou art I...**

 **And I am thou...**

 **From the sea of thy soul I cometh...**

 **I am Orpheus, master of strings..."**

Orpheus materialized above me and I held out my hand towards the shadow.

"Agi." Orpheus' eyes flashes red and a ball of fire hit the maya, instantly killing it. Other shadows near the area notices the attack and crawl over to me.

"Gurentou." This time Orpheus strum his lyre and several blades of fire hits two more of the enemies. I dispel Orpheus and switch to Melchizedek to try out my hand-to-hand combat.

I ran up to a cowardly maya and deliver a right hook to the mask, shattering it in an instant. A trance twins try to tackle me, but I roll out of the way before grabbing a muttering tiara nearby and slamming it to a magic hand. A merciless maya suddenly appeared behind me and try to dug it's claw into my back. Surprised by the sudden appearance of the shadow, I switched to Thanatos on instinct. The shadow's hand barely graze my skin but leave a huge cut on my shirt. I then proceed to grab it's mask and throw it into the twins earlier.

More shadows are trying to swarm me, I call upon Orpheus and the mechanical-bodied persona appears once more. I ran up to him as he joined his hand together to make a platform. I step on Orpheus' hand and he throw me upwards, I quickly switch to Thor to prevent the impact of my landing from hurting me and crushing two poor mayas on my way down.

A block of ice hit me as soon as I landed, behind me I saw the magic hand who just cast a bufu at me. I ran up to it and deliver a tackle to finish it off. A trance twins try to slam into me, but Thor's capability to block strike attack stopped it in it's track. I grab the upper pole that integrates the twins together and brought it to the ground, crushing their heads in the process.

The wave of shadow seems to be over and I went back to my apartment.

As soon as I enter, I took of my top clothes off to take a look at it.

"The second day here and I already lost a jacket and a shirt." I said while sighing to myself.

I put on a black T-shirt and a pair of gray pants then got to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

 **DATE : 04/08 (Wednesday)**

I think I'll start working part time today, I know I have like a million yen on me, but if I didn't start earning money now I might run out of it soon. Besides, who knows, I might meet some new people along the way.

I put on a black jacket over a grey shirt and blue pants then start making my way to Paulownia Mall

I enter Chagall cafe and ask one of the waitress "Excuse me, I would like to work part-time here."

The waitress turns to me "Oh, you can talk to the manager. Her office is in the back."

The manager is a Caucasian woman in her early 20's with blonde hair and blue eyes, kinda remind me of Aigis. She wore a white blouse with black blazer and a black skirt to match.

"So you want to work here, right?" she said while observing me

"Yes ma'am." I answered her

She laughed "Hahaha, Ma'am? Don't be so formal. The name's Lisa Silverman, call me Lisa." She introduced herself

I responded with my own introduction"I'm Minato Arisato, it's nice to meet you."

"So, Minato-kun..." she continued "You seems to be really polite, you got a good look as well. But before I gave you the job I need to test you first."

"I'm ready, Lisa-san." I said with a nod and she lead me to the cafe and sit down on one of the table

"Now pretend I'm a costumer, serve me a cup of coffee." Lisa-san ordered

I go to the kitchen and start mixing the coffee powder with hot water, cream, and sugar.

One minute later I emerged from the kitchen carrying a cup of coffee in my hand and put it in front of Lisa-san "Enjoy." I said, gaining an amused grin from her

She observe the coffee I made "Hmm... the look and smell is good" she brought the cup to her lips and her eyes widen as soon as the drink passed her throat.

She put the cup down "And the taste is great! Wow Minato-kun, I'd say you're more than qualified to work here. " she said with a bright smile

"Thank you, Lisa-san." I said with a bow

My new boss let out a laugh "Haha, With that attitude and looks of yours you're going to attract a lot of costumers here."

I flick my hair and flash a teasing smile "What can I say? I'm a natural charmer."

Lisa-san let out a grin "Alright, alright, enough teasing. Talk to one of the girls here, they'll gave you the uniform, I got some paperwork to take care of."

 _ ***CRACK***_

 _ **Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Lovers Arcana**_

Lovers arcana? So she replaces Yukari. Huh, I wonder if she already summoned her persona by now.

So I talk to one of the workers there to get my uniform consisting white long sleeved shirt, a black vest, a bow tie, and black pants to match, a pretty standard butler outfit. Oh yeah, I also noticed that all of the workers here are female which makes me really stands out.

I work there until 17.00 and received my payment. On the way back I decided to visit the Velvet Room.

* * *

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor greet me like before

"Welcome back, Minato-san" Elizabeth bowed with a smile

"I take it you've already took a different path this time?" He asked me in his usual eerie voice

"Yes." I answered shortly

"Very good, I look forward to see just how much you'll fulfill my master's expectation." Igor said while closing his eyes

Elizabeth step forward to gain my attention "Minato-san, I am aware that you have already discovered the usefulness of your persona's abilities even if you do not called upon them."

I nodded in confirmation "I cannot summon stronger personas right?"

Elizabeth gave me a smile "On the contrary, you certainly can..." What?

Her face immediately turn serious "But doing so will put a massive strain on both your mind and your body, that is why I highly disapprove you to use it." I gave an understanding nod. I'll use that as a last resort then.

Elizabeth's face revert back into her usual cheeriness "Now then, is there anything I can help you with, Minato-san?" Oh yeah, equipment.

"I arrived here without a weapon, can you help me with that?" I asked her

Elizabeth shook her head "Unfortunately we cannot provide services such as selling weapons. I believe you can find those in Tartarus."

My head dropped slightly in disappointment "However..." Elizabeth continued "We can provide a service you commonly called 'Weapon Fusion' here in The Velvet Room"

"You can do that?" I thought only the lady at Shinshoudo Antics can do that.

Elizabeth shook her head again "Unfortunately, I did not have the time to practice such art. But my brother certainly can."

I tilted my head in curiosity "You have a brother?"

"That would be me." A voice next to me speaks up

"Whoa!" I jumped on my seat, almost falling over

Besides me is a man with white hair and yellow eyes like Elizabeth. He wears a black-collared and long-sleeved shirt under a blue suit complemented with a blue necktie. He also wears black pants with blue lines running through the sides, black shoes, and a hat similar to a flight attendant or a bell boy. He also carries a Persona Compendium.

"Forgive me for my unexpected appearance." where did you even come from anyway?

He continued with a bow "My name is Theodore, I am pleased to meet you." Theodore walked next to Elizabeth

She gestured her hand to him "Theodore is my younger brother, you can call him Theo."

"I've been practicing to fuse a weapon with personas for quite a while now." Theo said

"Unfortunately, I'm not very proficient in it, so it may take some times for me to perfected the weapon." He said while Elizabeth walked next to me with a nihil sword in her hand

She handed me the sword "Here, think of it as a gift from The Velvet Room"

I accepted the weapon and take a good look at it. The blade and guard is made of smooth steel, the hilt is wrapped with leather. The sword looks really plain, something that you'd think won't be able to hold up for a very long time. But much like the Fool Arcana, it's filled with possibilities beyond any other weapon.

I grip the sword tightly and summoned an Emperor tarot card on my hand, then give them both to Theo

Theo nodded "The weapon I will create is the spear Gungnir, it will take approximately 3 days to get it done."

"Then I'll be back here in 3 days to pick it up." I said in confirmation

I stand up to says my goodbye to the residents of the Velvet room and step back to the Paulownia Mall

I got back to my apartment. After eating dinner I took the day off, tomorrow is the big day...

* * *

 **DATE : 04/09 (Thursday)**

Today is the day of the full moon, I stayed inside the apartment to save up my energy.

Around 22.00, I walked near dorm and observe the place from afar so that Mitsuru can't detect me. Sure enough, I saw Akihiko coming out of the dorm to do his patrol. I followed him and make sure to keep my distance so he can't notice me.

When the dark hour comes, he checked around the Port island, the Paulownia mall, Moonlight Bridge, and finally the Iwatodai Station.

I watched him from an alley nearby as he makes his way through the strip mall. He quickly turn to my direction and took a battle stance "Who's there!? Come out!"

Shit, I think he noticed me. I was readying myself to make a break for it just to find out I was not the one he was referring to.

From his opposite direction, I saw the grotesque body made entirely from hands. Half of the hands hold a long blade, and the other half support the monster to walk.

The Magician Arcana Shadow.

Akihiko took out his evoker and point it to his forehead "Hmph, Polydeuces!" He pulled the trigger and called forth one half of the Gemini.

Polydeuces let out a bolt of lightning at the magician, but the magician is barely affected by it "Tch, a tough one huh?" Akihiko said with a challenging smirk on his face.

"Then, how about this!?" the blonde-haired persona charged at the shadow to deliver a sonic punch.

But the magician launch it's hands at Polydeuces, knocking him back to Akihiko.

Akihiko slams into a wall and clutches his side, "Dammit!" He gritted his teeth and ran away.

Several cowardly mayas followed Akihiko, the magician was about to do the same until I summon Orpheus and blast an agi into it to draw it's attention.

The magician shadow turn to my direction and started chasing me.

I need to lead it to an open place, an area where there's not much building around it.

"The Harbor!" I realized while running.

I'm currently standing just before the pier of the harbor, at the edge of Iwatodai.

"Alright, let's start!" I said to the magician.

 **Soundtrack : Persona 2 Innocent Sin – Quest Battle**

"Orpheus!" I called upon my intial persona.

Orpheus appears from the blue energy around me as the magician try to launch it's blade at me.

"Gurentou!" the blade of fire Orpheus created cut some of the magician's hands, unfortunately some of them got past it and cut me on the shoulder.

"Ugh, I need a weapon." I commanded Orpheus to engage the shadow while I ran towards the blade the magician drop and use it as a sword.

I got to it just in time to see Orpheus getting impaled by the same kind of blade I just picked up.

I switched to Thanatos, hoping that the significant speed and strength boost Thanatos possessed can turn the tide of the battle. I ran to the shadow and it launch it's blade towards me again, I dodge from the first two arms by sliding down then cutting the arms with the magician's blade. I quickly noticed another hand in front of me forming a fist and ready to knock me out, but the effort is futile because I switched to Thor and tackle the hand away with my shoulder.

The magician called several other shadows to join the fight. I leap away from the reinforcements to the pier and called out Orpheus to help me. He appears out of thin air and create a wall of flames to block the way between us and the flock of shadows. I readied my blade and took my battle stances as the fire blockade dissipate. The first one to reach me is a muttering tiara which received a stab to the face, Orpheus smash a magic hand and cast an agi at a group of cowardly mayas. I turn my head just in time to see the magician recklessly charge forward, smashing every single one of it's ally just to reach me. I took a hold of Orpheus' hand and soar into the sky, I landed back to solid ground and ran to the magician.

I switched back to Thanatos and leap around in a random pattern in an attempt to try and confuse the magician. My maneuver seems to be effective as the magician's attack continue to missed me. Just as soon as I reached the magician's mask, one of the hand successfully knocked me away. I found my body flying away and the magician's blade is thrown off my hand, the colors red enters my eyes when I descend to the sea of blood.

In the red liquid, I felt my hand touches something. A pole? Even though the red color blurred my vision immensely, I can still makes out what my hand touches. It's a shaft of a giant axe with an odd design, I can't get into detail about it because my eyes spotted what or rather who the axe belongs to. My vision can't clearly see the figure in front of me but I think it's a human, a girl to be specific because of the long hair.

No time to be observant now, I take the axe and hold the girl as I summoned Orpheus to pulled us out of the sea. Orpheus put us on the pier, the magician who just about to leave the battlefield turns back to me. I grab the axe with both hands and throw it to the air, Orpheus grabs it and perform a horizontal slice. The attack is a success as the magician shadow looks weakened significantly.

"It's time to finish this." I said as I commanded Orpheus to throw the axe to the air.

He did exactly that while I ran towards him and use him as a lift to jump to the axe. I switched to Thor and grab the giant axe, bringing it down with me with a giant impact. Sure enough, the axe hit the magician's mask, shattering it into pieces and turning it into black ichor along with the rest of it's body. The axe also crushes the ground beneath it, forming quite a large crack on the concrete.

* * *

I look at the remain of the magician, that's when I realized something slowly flew in front of me.

A blue butterfly? Philemon?

The butterfly shattered before it touches my eye like before. I'll ask The Velvet Room later about this, right now I need to check the girl I found on the water.

I walked up to the girl and to my surprise, she's an ASW! She had pale skin with long blueish gray hair tied into a ponytail. Instead of Aigis' pearl white armor, her body is decorated with several vertical lines. An interesting thing about her is her head piece which resembles a medieval helmet. The axe also had an odd design with thrusters and cables attached to it.

The dark hour will ended in about 10 minutes, I better hurry if I wanted to brought her back. I summoned Orpheus and have him carry the giant axe while I carry the girl.

I went back to my apartment with my clothes and the girl soaked with blood from the sea and sat her down in a chair, then I went outside to take her axe since Orpheus couldn't fit through the door. I return back in to find out that the ASW has already wake up and standing. Her eyes widen as soon as she saw me holding the axe and immediately charge towards me.

"Wai- ugh!" I was too late to stop her as she slam her fist to my stomach, making me release the weapon in my hands and drop to my knees.

I looked up at her to found the double-headed axe under my chin and a pair of piercing red eyes glaring to me.

"Where am I? Who are you?" she asked with a threatening tone and a... Kansai accent?

I hold my hands up in surrender "Iwatodai, my name is Minato Arisato, I found you floating on the harbor" Talk about first impression.

She dropped her guard a bit but still took a defensive stance "Sorry." she said in an apologetic tone. Okay, I guess it's just a misunderstanding.

I put my hands down and got up to my feet to ask her "You're an ASW aren't you?" wow I'm dumb, did I really just blurted that out?

She quickly got back into her guard and ready to attack me again "Are you with them?" Them?

"The Kirijo Group?" I asked.

She responded with a quick nod, I shook my head "Then how did you know about ASW?" she questions me more, clearly still not believing me. Why is she so hostile about them anyway? Isn't they the one who created her?

"Let's just said I'm one of their victim and leave it at that." I said while looking away with a pained expression, remembering that day on the Moonlight Bridge. I hope that convince her.

She dropped her guard completely this time "I... I'm sorry." She apologize with guilt in her voice. Great, now I'm the one who feel bad.

I nodded "It's alright, I understand." Then the world turn back to normal and the blood from the sea turns back into water.

"It ended..." the girl muttered.

"So, where are you going now?" I asked the girl.

The girl looked down "I... dunno..."

"You could stay with me if you wanted to." I offered her.

She look at me with surprise on her face "I just met you and threaten you life, why would you want to help me? I'm not even a human." Her voice is filled with surprise and... loneliness... like a lost child.

"You needed help and I can provide it, it's as simple as that" I answered her with a soft smile.

"Besides..." I continued "Being a human is not just about appearance, as long as you act like one I'll treat you as such." a gasp escaped her lips.

Her eyes widen and she cast her gaze down.

Is she about to cry? I go to her and pulled her into a comforting hug.

Her breath hitched slightly but she doesn't resist as I patted her back "There there, it's okay." I said using my most soothing voice.

I start humming Memories of You slowly to calm her down.

After awhile she broke the embrace "Thanks... I needed that."

I smile and nodded at her expression of gratitude.

"Now, if you want to stay here you have to clean up first." I said as I lead her to the bathroom. Can't have my apartment smells like the ocean now can we?

I turn on the shower and warm water flow down from it. I started washing her hair from the salt water the sea gave us, my clothes are also drenched with it so might as well go all the way.

As soon as I finished cleaning her hair, I take a spare towel and dried the hair with it. The girl stays quiet the whole way through. After cleaning her, I grab a simple shirt and a pair of jeans then tell her to put it on.

She look at me confusingly "Why? I don't even need clothes."

I shook my head "I'll treat you as a human, remember?" I said with flashing a smile

She stared at it for a few seconds then finally take the clothes and putting it on.

Now it's my turn to clean up. After I take a bath I put on a grey sweatshirt and blue pants

I found the girl sitting on the couch quietly, I walked up next to her and start a conversation

"Hey, I never got your name. Do you mind telling me?" The girl looked at me with a bit hesitation and finally answered

"It's... Labrys" The double-headed axe? Well I shouldn't be surprised, even Aigis is named after the shield.

I sat down next to her "Alright Labrys, I suggest we go to sleep now. You could take the bed, I can sleep in the couch" I said softly

Labrys looked at me uncomfortably"Are you sure? This is your place y'know."

I nodded "You looks like you needed it more than I do." I said as I pulled her hands to the bedroom

We both enter the bedroom and I gestured to the bed, she sit on it "Call me of you need anything, okay. Good night."

I was about to leave the room before Labrys called me out "Minato-kun..."

I turned back to her who now had a beautiful smile decorating her face "Thank you..."

 _ ***CRACK***_

 _ **Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana**_

"You're welcome." I answered with a smile of my own and leave the room.

After grabbing a roll of bandage I kept on the kitchen counter and wrapping my wounded shoulder with it, I lay down on the couch with exhaustion plaguing my body.

What a long day, it feels like it's been a really long time since I'm this tired.

Labrys huh? I thought Aigis is the last ASW. Nevertheless, I'm just happy I could save her. She looks like she's been through a lot of stuff.

How did she get there anyway? And what's with the accent? Can all ASW develop an accent?

"*sigh* no use thinking about it now, it's time to sleep."

I close my eyes and drifted into slumber a few seconds later.

* * *

 **A/N : Reviews are appreciated, I always have rooms to improve.**


	3. Welcome to Iwatodai

**A/N : I'm sorry for all the grammatical errors.**

 **I wrote this in 3rd person POV, just a heads up.**

* * *

 **DATE : 04/10 (Friday)**

Mitsuru Kirijo is very worried. Last night Akihiko came back to the dorm with broken ribs, dozens of shadows following him and a shocking news.

After eliminating all the enemies, he tells SEES what he saw to SEES and the chairman. A giant shadow made entirely out of arms and seems to be significantly stronger than normal shadows.

 _'Could it be... one of the twelve?'_ she wondered.

 _'Even with the recent increase of number with Takeba's recruitment, SEES won't be ready for them. We haven't even explore Tartarus yet and now with Akihiko's injury, the situation are just getting worse.'_ These thoughts just clouded her mind even more.

Sighing to herself, she got up from her queen-sized bed after taking a mental note to discuss this with the chairman later

* * *

Labrys wake up with an unfamiliar ceiling above her. The internal calendar built inside her estimated it's been several weeks since she escaped the lab.

Her body is originally intended to be destroyed when the last remaining ASW aside from her, are going for a final combat test.

Through a chain of events, she blasted through the Kirijo Facility using her incomplete persona and escape the island by using the thrusters in her axe to fly away as far as possible.

After the axe ran out of power, the weapon shifted back to it's original form and she clutches it like a little girl who just found her long lost doll.

 _'This is it #024, our end of road'_ the long-haired ASW thought when she embrace her fate.

She accepted her doom and go to hybernation mode under the water. That is until last night when she woke up on a chair in someone's house.

"Minato Arisato." His name slowly forming under her breath.

The first time her gaze fell on him, she was high on alert. Her combat instinct instantly kicked in as she quickly incapacitate the blue-haired boy because he's awakened during the dark hour and currently holding her axe. He might be a part of the group who created her, therefore precautions are necessary.

Her suspicion is amplified by the apparent fact that he knows about Anti-Shadow Weapon, but that thought is suppressed when she saw his pained expression as he tells her he's one of their victim.

The idea of it only fortify her resolve to destroy her own creator. The fact that they ruin the life of a good person sicken her.

The boy is the first human she met outside of the island, and the first one to treat her like one of her kind. Not a tool... not a weapon... but like a real person. He clean her up, gave her clothes, even let her stay with him.

She can't thank him enough for what he did. Even just for a few minutes, he makes her feel welcomed, like a friend or a family... like #024 does...

She decided that he can't see her gloomy and quiet like last night.

After putting on a cheery mask, Labrys stands up from the bed and quietly make her way out of the bedroom.

* * *

"No, no, aw, come on!" Minato wake up from the noise a certain ASW made in his kitchen.

Turning to the source of the voice, he finds her wearing his blue apron with a few egg shells on the counter, a burnt toast on the floor, and salt thrown everywhere.

"What are you doing?" His question is met with a nervous laugh from Labrys.

"Uuh, I wanted to make breakfast but ended up with little success." She scratched her head sheepishly.

Minato let out an amused chuckle and walk up next to Labrys to help her out.

They clean up her mess and ended up with several pieces of toast, a few fried eggs, and two glasses of orange juice.

After a relatively quiet breakfast, Labrys asked suddenly "Say, Minato-kun, whaddya gonna do today?"

Minato adopts a thinking pose and answered "Hm, first of all, we need to bought some clothes for you. Can't have people seeing your metal arms can we?"

Labrys cast her gaze down slightly "You don't have to do that y'know, I could just stay here."

He shook his head and flash a smile in response "Offering you to stay here and just leaving you is cruel don't you think? Consider it as a welcome gift or something."

Her face immediately brighten "Thanks! _for everything."_ she said the last part in her head.

They finished the food and Labrys change her shirt for a white hoodie to hide her joints.

When Minato step out from the apartment, he's confronted by the landlord who scold him for the trail of water last night. He also notices Labrys, Minato told him that she'll stay with him. The landlord allows it but Minato's rent got increased, He takes a mental note to explore Tartarus as soon as possible.

Minato and Labrys went to Paulownia Mall and enter a clothing shop. The shopping spree is painted by Labrys' liveliness as she went over to everything that catches her eyes. Her companion couldn't help but chuckle at her action, she looks like a kid on a candy store.

They ended up buying quite a few clothes for Labrys, ranging from long sleeve T-shirt to a pair of white gloves which she immediately wore to hide her hands. Minato also bought some jackets and shirts to replace the one that got ruined by shadows.

On the way back, Minato's gaze catches someone familiar.

 _'Chidori? Is this where Junpei usually met her?'_ One third of Strega is currently sitting on the bench in Port Island Station with her eyes glued to her sketchbook.

This is a cue for another mental note to Minato, saving Shinjiro and stopping Strega early is in order. But how? He decided to come up with a plan later.

Suddenly Labrys turn her head to him "Say Minato-kun, how good are you at cooking?"

"Hmm, I consider myself pretty good, why?" He asked back curiously.

She scratched her cheek with embarrasment "Well... I feel bad staying at your place freely, so I thought I could be the one who cook, how about it?"

Her blue-haired friend chuckled and pat her head "You don't really have to do that Labrys."

She return the gesture with a cute pout "I insist! It's the least I could do for you."

Minato let an amused smile met his lips "Alright alright, I'll teach you when we got back."

She replied with a teasing smirk "I look forward to learn, sensei."

He looked at her oddly in return, but decided to ignore the unexpected teasing.

* * *

When they both got back home, Labrys put on Minato's apron for the second time.

He teach her what Fuuka learn the first time she tried cooking, riceballs.

After a few hours of trials and wasted foods, Labrys successfully produce a set of decent riceballs with his guidance.

She and her housemate sat down to taste her first result at culinary.

"H-How is it?" Labrys asked meekly.

Her teacher smiled when the food enters his mouth "It's good for a first try, we'll learn something more advance next time."

She clasped Minato's hand with her's "It all thanks to you, sensei."

That's a little annoying "*sigh* Stop that, will you?"

This earn a giggle from her "Nope!"

 ** _*CRACK*_**

 ** _Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana_**

* * *

 **DATE : 04/11 (Saturday)**

It's currently noon, Minato is sitting on the couch with a lunch box on his hand. He's wearing a blue shirt with black jacket and dark pants.

"Come on Labrys, it's almost time!" He called out to her.

"Okay, just a few seconds!" She shouted back from the bedroom.

Labrys comes out wearing an unbuttoned turquoise cardigan over a white blouse with a pair of jeans to match.

"Sheesh, the sleeves stuck on my elbow." The ASW complained while putting on her gloves.

 _'Oh yeah, hopefully no one notices her slightly bulging forearms.'_ Minato thought with a little sweatdrop.

He started walking towards the door "Let's go, it'll take some times to walk there."

Labrys seems slightly nervous "Are you sure your friends gonna like me?"

Minato put his hand on her shoulder "Don't worry, of course they will." He assure her.

"Let's go then!" She grab his hand energetically and pull him outside.

He's surprised by her sudden boost of energy "Whoa! Wait, you don't even know the way."

* * *

They both make their way to the Naganaki Shrine. As soon as they reach the top of the stairs, a familiar white shiba inu ran up to the blue-haired half of the pair.

He kneel down to pet him "Hey Koro-chan, miss me?"

"Arf! Arf!" When he got his answer, Minato open the lunch box in his hand and set it down.

Koromaru started chewing down when the food is within his reach.

Minato look up to his companion "Labrys, meet Koromaru, he lives in this shrine."

"Hi Koromaru, nice to meet'cha!" Labrys bend over to greet him with a smile.

The red-eyed dog took a second to reply the gesture with a bark and return his attention to his lunch.

Another voice called out to the visitor "Minato-nii!"

The source of the sound ran up to them "You're back! And you brought a friend too!"

The referred boy smiled in return "Of course I'm back, I promised right?"

Minato gestured to the girl beside him "Maiko, this is Labrys."

The ASW wave her hand with a bright smile "Hi Maiko-chan!"

Maiko beamed at her "Wow, she's pretty!"

Labrys scratch her cheek in embarrassment "Hehe, thanks."

Minato pulled her into a one-armed hug in an attempt to get her back for yesterday "She is, isn't she?" He said with a teasing smirk.

Predictably, a huge blush covered Labrys' face "M-Minato-kun!"

The blue-haired boy chuckled at her reaction and ruffles her hair "Calm down, I'm just kidding."

His ruby-eyed friend responded with a punch to his shoulder and turning her head away with a huff.

Minato let out a little laugh "Okay okay, I'm sorry."

Maiko pumped her fist to the air "C'mon, let's play!"

"Woof! Woof!" Koromaru joins the group.

After a few hours playing in the playground, Maiko clutches her stomach with a frown.

"I'm hungry... can we go to Wild-duck Burger?" She asked pleadingly.

Minato nodded in confirmation "Sure, let's go."

She threw her hands in the air "Yay! I can't wait! I wonder which toy they're giving out today..."

"Wait, we can't brought Koromaru with us can we?" Labrys chimed in.

The canine heard this and sit down on the ground with a sad whine.

Minato crouch down and scratch the dog's ears "Don't worry Koro-chan, I'll brought something special next time, okay?"

Maiko also kneel down to pet him "I'm going to visit again, I promise!"

Koromaru instantly jumps around with a series of happy bark.

 ** _*CRACK*_**

 ** _Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Strength Arcana_**

They say goodbye to Koromaru and make their to Wild-duck Burger, Maiko sit next to Labrys while Minato sit across both of them.

"This is yummy! I love going out to eat!" Maiko declared happily.

Her face suddenly turns into a frown "Mom and Dad never argue when we go out to eat..." Her tone changed drastically from before.

"Why did your parents argue?" Minato asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"They used to not do that! You have to believe me..." She exclaimed loudly.

Labrys put her hand on Maiko's shoulder "We believe you Maiko-chan, if you tell us maybe we can help you." She try to comfort her.

"They... they're getting a divorce." Her statement earn a gasp from Labrys and a solemn look from Minato.

"Why would they do that?" Maiko pondered with a frown.

"Why don't you ask them?" Minato suggested.

Tears started to form on her eyes "I asked them already and they said it was a matter for adults only." She started to cry.

"I don't want them to get a divorce! Do they really hate me that much? Divorce is dumb! I hate it!" She's now sobbing loudly.

Labrys circle her arms around Maiko "Hey c'mon, don't cry okay." Labrys try to calm her down with a soothing voice.

"Yeah, you can talk to us if you want to, we'll play with you again. I promise." Minato assured her softly.

Maiko started to calm down "*sniff* I'm sorry, I know it's embarrassing when I cry. I'll try to not cry anymore." She try her best to smile.

 ** _*CRACK*_**

 ** _Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana_**

The teenagers of the group started to notice the stare people are giving them.

"Um... I guess I should go. Thanks for playing with me today." Maiko said cheerily even though faint trails of tears are still visible on her face.

They leave Wild-duck Burger and the pair parted with Maiko along the way.

"Wow, that was unexpected." Labrys said with astonisment.

"Yeah..." Minato said shortly.

He suddenly turned to her "Labrys, can you get back home by yourself? I need to go somewhere first."

"Wha- where are you going?" She is surprised by his sudden change of plan.

"Visiting someone." He answered vaguely.

"Who's this someone?" She asked curiously.

"A friend." Labrys felt Minato's stubbornness and gave up with a sigh.

"Why you gotta be so cryptic? Fine, don't go back home too late now." He handed her the apartment key and start making his way to the station.

* * *

Minato enter Paulownia Mall's back alley and step through the glowing blue door.

"Welcome to The Velvet Room." He answered Igor's greeting with a small wave.

Theo step forward to gain his attention "Minato-san, I have successfully created the weapon you requested."

He pulled out a card and handed it to the guest.

Minato took the card and observe it, a picture of Gungnir can be seen in front of the card. He let the piece of paper disappear into his soul with a satisfied smile.

"Now, I believe you have to inform me about something." Minato said with confidence.

Igor confirm this with his wide grin "Indeed, it appears that my master has decided to bestow you with new powers."

Minato lean forward in curiosity "New powers?"

Igor nodded "Yes, everytime you overcome a new ordeal, my master will grant you an alternate abilty."

He sweep his hand and a card with pictures of two hands with fire in the center and a pair of eyes above it appeared on the table.

The magician, representing concentration, resourcefulness, action, and creativity.

It began to floats toward Minato, but instead of grabbing it, he let the tarot card enters his chest and merging with his soul.

He felt the new presence inside him "Can I try it out?" He asked eagerly.

Elizabeth step forward "Certainly, please follow me." She walk to one of the door in the room.

He comply and they both arrived at a plain square-shaped room.

"Please walk to the center of the room." He did as she commanded.

As soon as he got there, several black spots formed on the floor and dozens of shadows crawled out from it.

He held up his hand and concentrate his mind to The Norse God of Thunder. Minato closes his palm to grasp something, He look up to see the hammer of Thor, Mjolnir.

"Vicious strike!" He shouted out the attack and brought the giant hammer down.

The motion project a strong wave of power that swept every shadows around him, Instantly killing all of them. Mjolnir dissipate into thin air after the attack ended.

A grave beetle appear from the wall in front of him. He pulled his hand back and channel the energy of a machine-like angel, Melchizedek.

A pair of golden gloves with red jewels on them materialized on his hands.

The beetle charges at him but his right glove turn into pure gold and he unleashed the devastating attack.

"God's hand." The fist met the shadow's mask, shattering it along with the body.

The gloves disappeared and he took the strain of the attack.

Minato managed to keep his balance and catch up to his breath.

He turns to Elizabeth who's now clapping her hands "Marvelous, it seems that you already have a good grasp of your newest ability, Minato-san."

He merely nod in response, but another thought came up to his mind "Hey Elizabeth, do you have something that can store equipment."

"We certainly have." She pulled out a set of blank card.

A mischievous smile formed on Elizabeth's face "But of course, I will charge money for each of them, 10.000 yen to be exact"

Minato sighed when he heard her requirement. Why did her services demands money? Igor and Theo never asked for several thousand yen to do their job.

He ended up buying two of them and leave the Velvet Room.

* * *

Minato head back home and waited there until Labrys go to sleep. When the clock pointed to the number eleven, he step out from the apartment only to find a metal hand on his shoulder.

Sure enough, Labrys is there with her piercing red eyes looking at him suspiciously.

"Where are you going?" She asked while tightening her grip on his shoulder, his wound from the other day starting to hurt a little.

"I'm going out." He know she's not going to buy that.

"Where?" Labrys pry further.

"Out." He answered stubbornly.

Her gaze turns into a pleading look "Minato-kun, don't close yourself like that. Tell me, please..."

It's no use to hide it from her, sooner or later she's going to find out.

"I..." He paused to think, he can't use the term shadows, he needs to pretend he doesn't know anything "I'm going to fight those monsters."

Labrys' eyes widened "Monsters? Shadows?"

"Is that what you call them?" He tilted his head to convince her.

"You know about ASW but not shadows?" She spotted a hole in his statement.

Minato panicked slightly but managed to keep it down "When I dug into the Kirijo Group's database, I found something about combat-specialized robots called ASW, I didn't even found out what ASW stands for. Why do you think I know about black blob with mask that attack people?" He let a mental sigh when he saw her buying his excuse.

"Why did you do it? It's dangerous y'know..." She asked softly with concern in her voice.

"They're the one who cause the apathy syndrome. If no one else can stop them, then I will." That's the truth to some degree.

"Then let me help." He know she'll do that.

"You don-" She cut him off "I won't take no for an answer. ASW stands for Anti-Shadow Weapon, I'm clearly more suited for combat than you." She tried to reason with him.

"I'm more than capable to defend myself." Labrys realized something "You have a persona?"

He still needed to play dumb for now "You know about persona?" She responded with a nod.

"Then you know I can fight on my own." Labrys doesn't give up.

"Still, it doesn't hurt to have someone to watch your back, I'm comin' with you." The tone of finality in her voice seals the outcome.

He gave up with an annoyed sigh "You're really persistent, you know that?"

She let out a victorious smile "Let's go then."

Labrys started walking out just to get pulled back by Minato.

"Let's grab your axe first." He said while walking back to inside.

Labrys followed him with a surprised expression "Huh? How can we brought that thing?"

Minato's dismissive wave just added to her curiousness.

They both arrived at the bedroom where Labrys kept her gigantic weapon.

He pulled a blank card from his pocket and pointed it to the axe, it shattered into pieces of blue glass that went to the card with a faint glow.

Labrys jumped at the occurrence "Whoa! What happened!?"

Minato wave his hand in response "Hush, quiet down will you. Here, keep this."

She took the card and noticed the picture on it "What does this mean?" She asked with her index finger on the picture.

"Your weapon is stored there now." He said while walking out.

"Wha- hey wait!" She catches up to him in front of the apartment.

"How did you do that?" Her question earns a shrug from his shoulder.

"I have my way." He answered while locking the door.

"You're not gonna tell me, are you?" She think the answer is obvious "No." He said flatly.

She sighed in resignment at his answer.

* * *

The pair make their way quietly until they arrived in front of Gekkoukan High School.

Minato stopped his track and take a look at his watch, 30 seconds until midnight.

"Why do we stop?" He held his hand up to her "Wait and see."

They stood there and waited for a few seconds.

3... 2... 1...

The world turned eerie green and the school started to shift.

"Whoa! What's going on!?" Labrys asked warily.

Minato ignored her startled exclamation with his eyes glued forward, she copied his action and stare at former building in amazement.

The transformation is finally complete. Gekkoukan High has turned into a shadow's nest.

Tartarus, The Tower of Demise.

Just thinking about those words made him uncomfortable.

"What happens to the building?" Labrys asked without breaking from her state.

"I dunno, it just happens every night, come on." Minato said casually and begin to climb the fence. It's strange how the gate have pointy tips but the fence doesn't, not that he complains about it.

The lobby is just like he remember, a giant staircase, an inactive teleporter, a clock with 60 minutes on it, a glowing blue door, and an endless abyss below the platform.

"Whoa, this place is huge..." She said with her mouth gaping. He doesn't blame her, Junpei have the same reaction the first time they enter.

"It might be a good time to prepare your weapon." A card materialized on his hand.

"How? You never tell me." Minato tapped his temple with his finger "Try thinking about it." As soon as he said that, the card in his hand turn into Gungnir.

"Whoa!" Labrys let out on surprise because a piece of paper suddenly turns into her axe.

She pushed a button on the bottom end of the shaft and the pole shorten significantly, she put the double-edge axe head on her back to make some sort of jetpack.

Minato stared at her oddly "You can do that?"

His only party member nodded "Yeah, this way I can use it as a thruster. Oh yeah! I can turn my arms into flails too." She pointed a fist forward and launch the lower part of her arm.

The forearm nearly hit the other person there "Whoa!" Minato narrowly dodge it.

Labrys panicked at the near accident "Oh gosh, I'm sorry I'm sorry!" She clasped her hands together and brought her head down with closed eyes.

Minato move in front of her and pat her head "It's alright, that'll come in handy. Just be careful next time."

He took a glance at the clock "54 minutes left, let's go." His only party member stand up straight and begin to follow him up the stairs.

* * *

The exploration went pretty smoothly, most of the shadows felt like cannon fodder when confronted with the duo's combat capabilities. Minato's agile movement went perfectly with Labrys' strength. Unlike Aigis who uses fast maneuver and lots of projectiles from afar, Labrys relies on heavy offensive and momentum. Her axe limits her speed quite a bit but she makes up for it with wide swings and powerful hits, top it off with her detachable arms and they could cut through waves of shadows like knife through butter.

Not even the floor guardians became a problem. Minato dispatch the Venus Eagle quickly with Gungnir, the spear is very light and have a wide reach which is great for hitting fast targets like the pink-collared birds. The Dancing Hands is no match for Labrys' fists and Orpheus' lyre, the mechanical pair make quick work of the floor guardians.

Until they both reached the 14th floor, Minato frowned when he remember the shadow's properties. He put his hand on Labrys' shoulder to stop her from moving forward.

"Huh? What's the matter?" Labrys asked with slight worry when she saw his face.

He pointed at the Rampage Drive who is currently guarding the floor they were on "Whoa... that thing is bigger than any shadows we've fought." Labrys whispered to him.

Minato turn his gaze to the enemy "Yeah, and the worst news is the shadow itself. It nullify slashing and piercing, reflect strike attack, and resist fire."

Labrys' eyes widened "Wait, how do you know that?" He never tell her before.

"I can sense bigger shadow's properties, an ability of mine." He lied, the truth is he remembered every guardians and arcana shadows almost perfectly.

Labrys accepted the excuse "Then how are we gonna defeat it? Your persona can only use fire right?" She asked with anxiousness.

He adopt a thinking pose "Hmm... I have another way, but we need a plan. You have to distract it and when I gave a signal, brought the shadow to me."

Minato took a step forward only to find Labrys' hand on his shoulder "Are you sure this is gonna work?" Her eyes filled with worries.

He gave a reassuring smile "Don't worry, it will." She nodded to his answer and put her axe to thruster mode.

Both of them approach the Rampage drive "Hey over here!" Labrys wave her arms and charge the shadow.

The guardian started spinning in response to her attack. Fortunately, with the rocket on her back, Labrys' speed is enhanced. She use the thruster to quickly pass the enemy and it started following her. Minato took the chance to get closer to the target and put both of his hands up. Blue aura started to appear around him, signifying his persona's power. The shadow notices his presence behind it and turn around to Him.

A pair of forearms with chains attached to it grab the shadow's lances to try to holding it back, the keyword is 'try'. The Rampage Drive started spinning again and throw Labrys to the side.

"ARGH!" She screamed in pain when her back hits the wall.

"LABRYS!" Minato shouted his friend's name, a large amount of wrath started building inside him.

"You're not going to get away with that..." He muttered darkly with both of his hands pointed to the enemy.

"DIE! MEGIDOLA!" Thanatos materialized above him, pure energy starts to gather in front if his jaw.

Thanatos released it in form of a beam and it hits the shadow straight on it's yellow mask. The attack blasted the target and obliterate it into nothingness, the shockwave even make the summoner took a step back.

The persona dissipate and Minato drop to his knees, panting while clutching his head.

"Minato-kun!" Labrys ran up to him, worries clearly written all over her face.

He look up to her and does his best to smile "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm the one who should be saying that! Are you okay?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"I'm fine." His exhausted face and aching head doesn't make it convincing.

"No, you're not fine." She retort, the mechanical maiden move to his side and let him use her shoulder as support.

"Thanks..." Minato trailed off. She picks up Gungnir and it return to the card, she gave it back to him.

He noticed something "Where's your axe?"

Labrys responded by handing a card to him "Keep it, it's yours after all." He refuses it.

She put the piece of paper in her pocket "Let's head back." The pair started to make their way to the teleporter.

Maybe it doesn't hurt to have someone watching your back after all...

 ** _*CRACK*_**

 ** _Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana_**

* * *

 **A/N : I apologize for the late update.**

 **Originally this chapter is completed in 1st POV but I feels like it was too crappy, so I try writing it in 3rd POV.**

 **Halfway through the chapter, I accidentally deleted the complete file, so I decided to go with it.**

 **Personally, I thought it turns out better than the original. Let me know what you think, do you like 1st or 3rd POV better?**

 **I'm sorry for the seemingly rushed battle scene. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, I'll answer it if it's within my capability.**

 **Leave a review, help me make this story better. I always have rooms to improve.**


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